DeWanna Bonner’s 17th WNBA season was supposed to continue a familiar story in Phoenix, the place where her career began and where she won two championships. But after the Mercury’s playoff hopes disappeared, the 39-year-old’s chance to make another postseason run with the franchise did, too.
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“Breaking: DeWanna Bonner and the Phoenix Mercury have agreed to a contract buyout, the team announced,” ESPN’s Alexa Philippou was among the first to report the news on X, adding that Mercury general manager Nick U’Ren clarified why they made the move as the regular season nears its end.
“DeWanna has been an important part of our team and brought tremendous leadership, experience and competitiveness to the Mercury,” U’Ren said in a press release.
“Because of the relationship we have with DeWanna, we worked out a buyout agreement that gives her the opportunity to chase a title in what could be her final postseason. DeWanna will always be part of the Mercury family, and we wish her all the best.”
Phoenix’s hopes of returning to the playoffs ended Saturday after a 99-89 loss to the Atlanta Dream. The defeat dropped the Mercury to 13-24 and left them 12th in the WNBA standings, a sharp downturn for a team that reached the Finals last season.
Joining one of the teams with postseason chances would give Bonner another opportunity to play in the playoffs. However, teams like the Las Vegas Aces, Minnesota Lynx, Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever appear to offer Bonner a more realistic path to another title.
A return to Indiana would come with complications. Bonner’s stint with the Fever lasted only nine games in 2025. She started the first three games of the season before moving to a reserve role, then stepped away from the team for personal reasons and did not play after June 10.
The Fever waived Bonner on June 25 after failing to find a trade partner. She thanked the organization for the opportunity but said the fit “did not work out,” adding that she appreciated the Fever granting her request to move on.
That decision brought Bonner back to Phoenix in July 2025. The Mercury drafted her fifth overall in 2009, and she won two WNBA championships with the franchise before spending five seasons with the Connecticut Sun.
Her return marked her 12th season with the Mercury, second only to Diana Taurasi in franchise history. After a short and unsettled stop in Indiana, Bonner was back with the team where she had built the strongest part of her WNBA legacy.
Looking back: during her first stint with the Mercury, DeWanna Bonner helped the franchise win WNBA titles in 2009 and 2014. The six-time All-Star is also a two-time All-WNBA selection, a former All-Defensive Second Team pick and the only player in league history to win Sixth Player of the Year three times.
Her return quickly proved productive. DeWanna appeared in 24 regular-season games for the Mercury after joining the team, averaging 10.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist. She was one of the league’s most effective reserves in 2025, leading all qualifying bench players in scoring and steals per game.
She scored 20 or more points three times off the bench and posted seven games with at least 15 points. In just her third game back with Phoenix, she recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds, which was her fifth career 20-point, 10-rebound game as a reserve.
She also contributed during Phoenix’s postseason run, which ended with the Mercury reaching the 2025 WNBA Finals. DeWanna Bonner had 25 points in Game 3 against the Las Vegas Aces after scoring 14 total points across the first two games of the series. She averaged 12.3 points and 7.0 rebounds across the four-game Finals, although Phoenix fell short of a championship.
Her return quickly proved productive. Bonner appeared in 24 regular-season games for the Mercury after joining the team, averaging 10.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist. She also contributed during Phoenix’s postseason run, which ended with the Mercury reaching the 2025 WNBA Finals.
Bonner had 25 points in Game 3 of the Finals against the Las Vegas Aces after scoring 14 total points across the first two games of the series. She averaged 12.3 points and 7.0 rebounds across the four-game Finals, although Phoenix fell short of a championship.
Phoenix re-signed Bonner on April 12 before the 2026 season, but the Mercury could not reproduce that postseason success. The team was eliminated from playoff contention in August, creating the circumstances that ultimately led to the buyout less than four months after her return.
Meanwhile, the six-time All-Star also showed love to Phoenix fans in her statement.
“Being able to return to Phoenix and play in front of the best fans in the WNBA these past two seasons has been an incredible experience,” Bonner said in a press release.
“The fans, this community and the Mercury organization have embraced me throughout my career, and I’ll always be grateful for that. Being part of this franchise has given me so many incredible memories, and Phoenix will always be a special part of my career.”
The WNBA veteran added that she did not know what the future held, but said it “could be one of my final postseasons.”
Bonner has played 61 regular-season games with Phoenix across her two stints since returning in July 2025, including 37 this season. The two-time WNBA champion has been one of the league’s most durable veterans over a 17-year career, with a résumé that includes six All-Star selections and three Sixth Player of the Year awards.
Since the buyout news, several teams, including the Las Vegas Aces, Dallas Wings, and Washington Mystics, have already emerged as the landing destinations for the two-time WNBA champion. However, finding a team willing to make adjustments for a new incoming star at this point in the season may not be easy.